You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes…
And it seems like a TV show’s choice to include Taylor Swift in a rather sexist narrative has won them the prize of her (and an entire colony of Swifties’) ire. The show in question is ‘Ginny & Georgia’ an American dramedy that only just dropped on Netflix on the 24th of February. Consisting of 10 episodes, the story follows “Ginny Miller (Antonia Gentry) , a ’15-year-old’ who is more mature than ‘her 30-year-old mother, Georgia (Brianne Howey) in a New England town,'” and is meant to highlight how the sassy young mom and wise-beyond-her-years daughter can be at odds and yet remain best friends through it all.
Free-spirited Georgia and her two kids, Ginny and Austin, move north in search of a fresh start but find that the road to new beginnings can be bumpy. GINNY & GEORGIA is your new after bedtime binge and it's now streaming. pic.twitter.com/Qy6XZlM5nH
— Netflix Family (@netflixfamily) February 24, 2021
And by all, we mean ALL. The plot has managed to pack in problems like racial microaggressions, self-harm, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, murder, drugs and more in the 10 episodes. And as with any teenage plotline, there’s a ‘complicated’ love story. Unfortunately, it is here that the show decided to add a Taylor Swift plug that didn’t go down very well.
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While Ginny is arguing with her mother Georgia in the final episode, Georgia is asking Ginny about the status of her relationship. This prompts Ginny to shoot back,
“What do you care? You go through men faster than Taylor Swift.”
Following the line, “RESPECT TAYLOR SWIFT” started trending worldwide on Twitter. This prompted a response from the ‘Folklore’ singer, who called the joke “lazy, deeply sexist” and worthy of 2010’s misogyny.
She even called out Netflix, the streaming giant who distributed her ‘Miss Americana’ documentary. Ironically, in the documentary, Swift is vocal about the pressure she and many female celebrities face in a toxic, sexist industry and internet culture.
As noted by this Twitter user:
isnt it ironic how ginny and georgia is a show that supposedly promotes feminism yet still makes outdated slutshaming jokes?? RESPECT TAYLOR SWIFT
— lina ☾ she/her | mourning yoon jia (@kiwistainedress) March 1, 2021
Not to mention the fact that the show has done Lady Gaga and Lana Del Rey dirty. At one point, the characters discuss both Del Rey and Gaga, calling them ‘basic’:
https://twitter.com/steponmetay/status/1366298404230475781
To be noted is the fact that the show does end up defending Del Rey, with Georgia putting down the call that Del Rey is basic with, “BLASPHEMY, She is a queen of sadness!”. However, no such respect is given to Gaga.
Anyway, if the shows need a few pointers, this Twitter user has expertly listed four shows (all of which can be/was once found on Netflix) that respectfully mention Swift:
TV shows mentioning Taylor Swift in a respectful way: pic.twitter.com/S4DlZcBnay
— Kusum🏹 (@fearlesstaylena) March 1, 2021
Netflix has not yet commented on the criticism, nor has anyone associated with ‘Ginny and Georgia’. ‘Degrassi: Next Class’ has also recently faced similar backlash, after having included the line: “Taylor Swift made an entire career off of her exes.” Let’s end on this point and reflect, shall we:
As Taylor said:
"I think that’s a very sexist angle to take. No one says that about Ed Sheeran. No one says that about Bruno Mars. They’re all writing songs about their exes, their current girlfriends, their love life and no one raises a red flag there.”
RESPECT TAYLOR SWIFT pic.twitter.com/88uhWwx3wA
— Val⁹¹ (@repxlouie) March 1, 2021
*Cover image credits: Instagram / @taylorswift
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